Dragon Dances and Ancient Games Headline Pasadena School’s Lunar New Year Market
La Salle College Preparatory opens its campus Friday for a free evening of Chinese cultural performances, food and traditional activities
La Salle College Preparatory will host a free Lunar New Year Night Market on Friday, February 13, featuring Chinese dragon and lion dances, traditional food and hands-on cultural activities including Chinese calligraphy and centuries-old games on the school’s grass field.
The event, which the school is opening to the public from 4 to 7 p.m., celebrates the Year of the Horse four days ahead of Lunar New Year on February 17. Attendees can participate in activities ranging from ink rubbing and clay painting to touhu — an arrow-tossing game that dates to ancient China — and Chinese yoyo, according to the school’s announcement.
The night market will also include a fan dance performance, a photo booth, face painting and a lucky spinning wheel. Visitors can try their hand at water marbling on fans and creating DIY pony charms, a nod to the incoming Year of the Horse.
Chinese food and drinks will be available, including beef fried rice, fried chicken wings, scallion pancakes, spicy chicken wontons and passion fruit green tea, according to the school. Attendees can pre-order food through a registration link on the school’s website.
2026 marks the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, a combination that occurs once every 60 years, according to the Smithsonian Institution. The horse is the seventh animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle and is associated with energy, independence and confidence in Chinese tradition.
La Salle College Preparatory, a Catholic co-educational high school founded in 1956 in the Lasallian tradition, is located at 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Pasadena. The school lists embracing diversity among its core principles.
The night market takes place on the school’s grass field. Parking is available in the campus upper lot and along Sierra Madre Boulevard. Registration and food pre-ordering are available on the school’s website at lasallehs.org. For more information, call 626-351-8951.
The Year of the Fire Horse last occurred in 1966. Lunar New Year celebrations, also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, will continue through March 3, when the 16-day observance concludes with the Lantern Festival.
La Salle College Preparatory’s Lunar New Year Night Market takes place Friday, February 13, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. The night market will be held on the grass field at La Salle College Preparatory, 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107. Parking is available in the campus upper lot and along Sierra Madre Boulevard at no charge. For more information, call 626-351-8951 or visit lasallehs.org.
